Our studies on the role of RNA polymerase during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis will be continued by analysis of the enzyme during growth, sporulation, and dormancy and by characterization of RNA polymerase mutants which are temperature sensitive only during sporulation. A recently developed method for removing proteases and peptidases from crude extracts will allow us to purify large quantities of RNA polymerase from various morphological stages of the wild type and mutant cells. The delta factor-containing enzymes observed in sporulating cells will be further studied for their template specificity, activation by sigma factor, and promoter specificity. The functions of the RNA polymerase subunits will be determined by dissociation and reassociation studies. The enzyme from the ts mutants will be analyzed to determine whether the temperature sensitivity is due to the enzyme per se or to a lack of interaction with effectors for sporulation transcription.